New Yorkers Band Together to Stem Assaults on Women

by Rayne Millaray

Police hunt man who has attacked nine victims in Brooklyn since March.

A few groups in New York have cropped up in support of safe neighborhoods in response to a recent wave of assaults on women, each with a different way of protecting their streets. While some are offering self-defense classes, others are putting themselves in the line of fire to fight back against the attackers.

One group, called Safe Slope, is arranging a buddy system for women who don't want to walk home alone. They held a rally to take back their streets last Wednesday night to "let the perpetrator or perpetrators of these acts know we are watching and we are going to look out for our neighbors.”

Police say a man has raped one woman and sexually assaulted eight others in South Brooklyn since March.

“We’re here for the victims and we can come together as a neighborhood to help empower our neighbors to take a role in their own safety,” said Michael Crumshow of Safe Slope.

Another group called Brooklyn Bike Patrol is patrolling Park Slope on their bikes and meeting people to walk them home. The group's founder, Jay Ruiz, a 55-year-old bike messenger, says they just “want the monsters to stop already.”

“It's so bad to see women getting attacked,” said Ruiz, a dispatcher for a bike messenger company. “I feel like I have to do something.”

If only all humans were so noble. We hope things turn out all right, but we can't help but wonder ... Who's looking out for the escorts when they're alone? Hopefully the combined efforts of the community and the police will bring these men to justice without anyone else being harmed.